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Understanding associations between exhibited aggression and aggression seen on television and in video games in children with behavioural and emotional difficulties, attending specialist outpatient mental health services

Mitrofan, O.
(2010)
Understanding associations between exhibited aggression and aggression seen on television and in video games in children with behavioural and emotional difficulties, attending specialist outpatient mental health services.
PhD thesis, University of Warwick.

Abstract

The possibility that seeing aggression on television and in video games mightcause aggression in children is a public health concern. A systematic reviewfound insufficient, contradictory and methodologically flawed evidence regardingthis association in children with behavioural and emotional difficulties. It indicatedthe complexity of the subject, along with numerous gaps in knowledge. There arefew studies based in clinical settings.This thesis reports a mixed methods pilot study that explored possibleassociations between aggression seen on television and in video games andreported aggression in children attending specialist outpatient Child andAdolescent Mental Health Services (CAMHS). Forty-seven children aged 7-11years with behavioural and emotional difficulties, attending CAMHS, and theircarers participated in a survey. Twenty children were purposively selected; theyand a parent/carer participated in semi-structured interviews, which wereanalysed using the Framework Analysis Approach.Quantitative findings indicate that children exhibit various types of aggression, ofvarying frequency and severity. Qualitative findings reveal that children seeaggression in multiple real and virtual settings. Children do not think their ownbehaviour is influenced by seeing aggression. Carers regard aggression as theresult of a combination of inner and environmental factors, amongst which seeingaggression in real life has more impact than television/video games. Verbalaggression is often seen in real and virtual settings, frequently exhibited andstrongly associated with poor peer relationships and low prosocial behaviour.There is currently no definitive proof of any association between seeingaggression on television and in video games and exhibited aggression in suchchildren. This thesis makes suggestions for the undertaking of and methodologyfor future research, tackling the challenges of researching this field and hard toreach population. Carers, professional organisations and policy makers shouldconsider the role of aggression, particularly verbal, that children see in both realand virtual environments.